Crossing Paths
by Kitty Kat Mac
Summary: Sorry that the title's not compelling. One December night, Blaise, the head of Interrogation for the Inquisitorial squad, gets a suspect. But will he get answers, or is he in over his head?


This one shot plot bunny stems from the fact that I

1) _Adore_ characters that are minor names in stories; I love fleshing them out and giving them personalities.

2) Because of number 1, play Mandy Brocklehurst a lot in RPs, so I finally decided that she gets a story.

Summary: The Inquisitorial Squad is knows something is going on amongst the students at Hogwarts. On a chilly December night, their head of interrogation gets what he thinks is his chance to figure it all out. Will her get more than he bargained for?

Spoilers: None

Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognise. Grant Paige as well; if you play the QWC game, then you've seen the character play as Ravenclaw Keeper.

ENJOY!

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Inquisition

By Kitty Kat Mac

"Lemme go! Lemme go you thugs!" Blaise Zabini looked up from his chair. As Inquisitorial Squad interrogator, he had his own office on the third floor. He'd expected to have people brought before him for questioning, but so soon? He didn't realise that a sting had already occurred.

The two henchmen, Peake and Bragg, struggled through the door hauling in Mandy Brocklehurst. Her feet dangled inches off the floor and her face flushed from the struggle. She wriggled violently trying to free herself.

"We found this one wandering the fifth floor corridors." Blasie smirked at her appearance. Though he could never admit as such, Blaise never had the knack for telling Purebloods from Half bloods from Muggle Borns, and he actually found the quiet half-blood Ravenclaw quite attractive. He even thought so now as her dark brown waves hung mussed to her elbows and her glasses were only on one ear.

"Put her down." He ordered with a wave of the hand. The two did as told and let go, causing the girl to fall to the floor. She crumpled slightly but held her ground.

"You _ever_ man handle me like that again you… you.. GOONS! You will regret it!" She threatened lowly in a deep growl. Peake obviously didn't think much of her threat as he roughly grabbed her shoulder. Mandy snarled and punched him in the face and while Peake doubled back, she kneed him in the stomach. Bragg tried to subdue her only to get slapped across the face. Rubbing her arms, Mandy stalked over to a corner and huddled there rubbing her arms.

"Thank you gentlemen. I'll take it from here."

"You're not taking me anywhere!" She angrily shrieked from her corner. Blaise ignored her and dismissed the thuggish pair.

"So, caught wandering the school, hmmm? What were you doing?" Blaise asked in a hard, cold, voice. This girl didn't waver like most; she only stuck her nose in the air.

"I was in the library."

"No books, no bag?"

"I think I left a book up there and I wanted it." Blasie's hazel eyes flashed cold.

"I don't believe that for a second. You're involved in some sort of outside the lines illicit student activity going on. That's where you were tonight isn't it?"

"You can't prove that." The defiance held in her voice.

"Oh, but we already know. We don't know what's up, but we know something's going on. You're a big key to what we know." Mandy snorted. Blaise knew that even though he was bluffing, she was a curious one. Even as he spoke, she raised an eyebrow. " You're asocial. And yet, this year you've been more and more social. We're watching you asocial ones like yourself. You're speaking to people outside your social circle this year. That's how I know how something's up." She rolled her eyes. "It's true. You've betrayed your classmates. They'll hate you. They won't speak to you, and then you'll be alone. Just tell me what I want to know and then you can join the Inquisitorial Squad. You'll have friends, not just people who are using you to aid a cause." She smirked with another roll of her eyes.

"Can't betray what doesn't exist." Blaise scowled. By now, most people would be either a puddle crying on the floor, or telling all of their secrets in hopes to gain acceptance. This girl however held her ground. If intimidation wouldn't work, he'd try humiliation.

"Turn out your pockets."

"What?"

"Empty your pockets and turn out your socks and shoes, now!" He barked. Mandy complied languidly still showing no fear. After a few minutes, she stood before him in bare feet. She'd also shed her thick sweater and stood in her t-shirt and jeans. Blasie considered putting out the fire to make things even less comfortable, but he thought of the December chill and his own comfort before deciding against it.

"Do you need me to take off my clothes as well?" She sneered. Blasie knew that she wasn't dumb enough to fall for it so he smiled boyishly and replied,

"Only if you think so." Clearly not what she expected to hear, Mandy flushed bright red, but didn't move to undress. Blaise hid his disappointment and began using his wand to shake out her shoes and socks. He then pulled out a secrecy sensor and began prodding her body. She flinched only when he touched her upper arms where Peake and Bragg restrained her. As he crossed it over her chest it beeped.

"Maybe I do need you undress after all." Mandy huffed.

"Don't be a pervert Zabini." She reached down her top and pulled out a silver chain with a gold key. "It's my diary key. I guess it sets of sensors." How was he to know that the key was really a transfigured DA communication galleon?

"Tell me what you know!"

"I know lots of things." Blaise snarled. Deep down, their exchange aroused him. He already knew that she was smart and pretty, but here she was facing inquisition and refusing to sell out people with whom she had no real connection and yet his 'friends' wouldn't go anywhere near as far for him. If he weren't trying to get information from her, he would have kissed her passionately. Instead he summoned a high backed chair under her, forcing her to sit. Mandy yelped in surprise but couldn't escape as he rounded the front of the chair and blocked her escape, gripping the chair's arms with his own.

"Listen here. There is some illicit student activity going on and you are taking part of it. Tell… me… what… is… going… ON!" He growled.

"Or else?" She sang. Blaise struggled to ignore the melodic tones assaulting his ears. He gripped the chair harder.

"Or else you'll be banned from Quidditch, placed in detention nightly, and your pretty little hands will get all cut up."

"I have nothing to tell. Your goons caught me coming from the library." Blaise grasped her wrist. Her pulse was calm. Could she really be telling the truth?

"I want tea."

"What?" Blasie was gob smacked. How dare she order him around?

"I want tea Blaise. If you're going to hold me prisoner, I at least want tea. Red tea, cream, three sugars." Mandy said slowly, her brown eyes shining in the firelight behind her glasses.

Blasie huffed and released her wrist before stalking over to his desk and yanking open a drawer. He quickly scribbled something down on it and flooed it to the kitchens.

They waited in silence as Mandy put her shed clothes back on. Soon a house elf appeared laden down with a heavy tray. Mandy yelped and moved to help. Once she placed the tray safely on the table, the elf left.

"Why are there cookies?"

"I asked from them; they're Snicker doodles." He bit into one and grinned. "Perfect… Cinnamon." He then levelled her with a softer gaze. Like you.

"What are you on about?" She looked up from the tea she'd made.

"You, Cinnamon. Sweet, spicy, warm, and crisp." He wrapped the remaining bit of biscuit in his hand with his tongue and flipped it into his mouth. "In fact, I think I'll call you that from now on."

"You will not!"

"I will indeed."

"Whatever. May I leave now?"

"No." Blaise still wanted to get her to confess. If he couldn't scare it out of her, maybe he could lull her into a false sense of comfort; maybe something would slip. "I get lonely sometimes."

"Why me?"

"Why not?"

"You hate me!"

"You hate me." Blaise's voice lost all calm joking tone and the light dimmed in his eyes.

"No, I'm indifferent to you. I hate your beliefs and what you stand for, but I can't hate you as a person. I don't know you." Her frank words took him aback. She was honest and he knew that she hadn't intended to offend him with her words. If at all possible, Blaise may have felt a tiny bit of his heart leave him, forever in this girl's possession.

"I don't think anyone's been that honest with me ever." She bit her lip as is expecting to get into trouble. Her eyes flitted for a split second to the back of her hand in fear. "And for the record, I don't hate you."

"I'm a half blood. Of course you hate me."

"I don't hate you." His voice was soft. " You're bright. You're catty and clever. You don't need to hear how great you truly are. You face down the world with confidence."

"I'm not confident. And how am I great? You said it yourself; I'm a social misfit. My only friends are Grant and Roger."

"But you don't care! Me? I care. I care enough what my peers think of me to join this bigotry brigade. The first time I saw you in class, all I could think was that you were cute and talented. It wasn't until Pansy started on a tirade about half bloods and muggleborns that I realised it. I can't tell the difference. It's difficult to tell when there are Purebloods who can't turn a wand the right way and then there are muggleborns and half bloods that are aces. I just follow the beliefs of my peers." By this time Blasie couldn't stop pacing and Mandy had sprawled languidly on the couch.

"So who are you then?"

"Well Cinnamon,"

"Don't call me that!"

"I don't know who I am. I've enjoyed a life of opulence brought on with money and lineage. I've spent my life listening to my mother, but over my years here, I've begun to think twice. You're a big part of that."

"Me?"

"You're an enigma to me. You're quiet with your talents, but anyone who'd look twice would see something deeper."

"Yeah, well Cho squashed most chance of that right away. Besides, who are you?"

"I… I don't know. My mother is my everything. I like to spend time reading, flying, sleeping…"

"You like solitary activities." Blaise stopped. How had he gotten here? How had he gone from wanting to trick her into confessing to opening up and bearing his soul? He'd even essentially told her that he had a crush on her. What sort of magic did this girl possess?

"What about you?"

"Me?"

"You." Maybe he could save his objective.

"I adore my parents. I'm proud to be a half blood because I get to hybridise both worlds. I love to cook, hate to clean. I play Quidditch, video games, I love to read and if I weren't so awkward, I'm sure I'd have friends." She stretched and yawned. Blaise magicked a blanket to her.

"Despite the calamity people make about lineage, you and I aren't that different."

"Then tell them that."

"Who?"

"Your mother, Malfoy, all of them." She drawled sleepily.

"What happens when the Ministry finds out that you harbour sentiments like that of the Death Eaters?"

"If convicted, you go to court, maybe, a fine, depending on the severity, jail time…"

"Exactly. In the circles in which I grew up, the merest _thought_ of sympathy towards muggles and their ilk earns you torture, death, anything to remind you of the 'hierarchy' of society." Mandy looked at him shrewdly.

"So this, this inquisition. You don't care for any of this."

"Not really." She sighed.

"So tell me about yourself."

Mandy awoke and pulled on her glasses. 'My bed shrunk.' She thought. Sitting up, she noticed that she wasn't in her room. Blasie sat at the desk doing paperwork.

"Zabini you ASS!" You kept me here talking to you all night!" He waved to a tray still piping steam on the side table.

"I sent for breakfast. Eat and you can get ready for class in time. I'm doing the paperwork on your interrogation." Mandy glowered and crammed down breakfast and coffee before bolting from the room.

Blaise didn't see Mandy all morning after she left his company. He'd had double Potions and Divination. As he headed down to lunch, he heard Roger Davies tell Grant Paige,

"You're about to do an up n' over."

"Why would I do an up n' over?" Paige asked.

"Just… just stay alert." Blaise and Paige found out why as soon as they hit the bottom step.

"Graaaaant!" Mandy hurtled down the stairs and leapt onto Grant's back. The second she did, he tossed her over his head and caught her in his arms. One of the greatest talents the Ravenclaw Quidditch team possessed was their acrobatics regarding their female chaser. Blaise scowled from the above landing, as Paige didn't put her on the floor. Her waves hung down her back tamed in a braid and despite the cold, she wore her short-sleeved blouse. Blaise knew why though. On her upper arms were dark splotchy bruises. She wanted him to see them. He wasn't the only one.

"What happened to your arms?"

"Is that where you were last night?" She waved them off.

"Inquisitorial squad goons hauled me in for questioning last night."

"What did you tell them?" Davies' voice had a touch of fear.

"Nothing to tell. I was in the library before I got nabbed." Was Blaise imagining it, or did Paige cuddle her closer? He almost wanted him to kiss her right there, taking savage delight in the thought of 'I will not kiss her' carved into Paige's hand. Blaise bit back a snarl and decided he'd had enough. He levitated her body into the air above their heads.

"What the hell?" She asked wildly.

"If I remember correctly, school rules dictate girls and boys are to remain at least eight inches apart." Blasie said coldly, his glare trained on Grant Paige. Before anyone could retort, a snort broke in,

"I see London, I see France,"

"Before you finish Bullstrode, I've got shorts on beneath my skirt. Say it and you'll admit to being an x-ray visioned pervert." Millicent scowled and stalked off.

"Zabini! Isn't there also a rule about not using magic in the halls?" She asked turning on him.

"Ever heard of 'Do as I say, not as I do?'" His voice warmed a bit addressing her. "Besides, it's high time someone became an example around here."

"I think I've been example enough don't you?" She huffed folding her arms so that he could take a good look at the bruising on them. He tried not to soften at the sight. "Whatever. Catch me if you can Grant!" She disarmed Blaise and hurtled through the air to land gracefully in Grant's arms bridal style. He set her down and the three went to lunch.

Blaise saw her in Herbology after lunch.

"I didn't believe a word of it, just so you know." She muttered as they both knelt under a shelf to grab a potted squishy berry.

"What do you mean?"

"Your 'woe is me, my life is a lie but I can't escape' spiel." She spat. "You just wanted me to feel sorry for you and tell you something."

"No, I…"

"Joke's on you though since there's nothing to tell. You failed." She grinned saucily and turned to flounce away. He grabbed her fingers out of sight and held her still.

"I'm watching you." He muttered with a mix of desire and malice that he didn't know he could muster. Something flashed in her eyes that he couldn't place, but he loved it. Mandy stared at their intertwined fingers.

"Watch away. You won't find what you're looking for." With that, she walked away. Blaise smirked at her back.

"I may have already found it." He muttered before walking in the opposite direction.

-Fin-

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So that's the end of that. For now. I might make this plot bunny into a full fledged story between them. I hope you liked it, so tell me whatcha think! 

Kitty Kat Mac


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